Chapter 19. Miss Miesque Come to Visit - Uma Musume: My Dream and Reality Intersected

On the first day after arriving at Malibu Beach, aside from Shuta An—who planned to wander around the hotel and enjoy some rare leisure time—Oguri Cap, Berno Light, and Tokai Teio headed out together to buy swimsuits.

Oguri Cap and Berno Light hadn't expected to need swimwear, so they hadn't packed any when coming to America. As for Tokai Teio—

"My swimsuit is too small!"

After hearing that Oguri Cap and Berno Light were going shopping, she patted her chest—clearly still full of room for growth—and forcefully insisted on joining them. Both Oguri Cap and Berno Light were more than happy to bring Tokai Teio along, and so the three Uma Musume left the room together.

This time, Shuta An had only booked two rooms: a single room for himself, and a triple room for the three Uma Musume. When Oguri Cap and the others went out, he remained completely unaware, sitting alone in the study of his room. He opened his laptop and began gathering information on the global summer Twinkle Series, focusing particularly on American turf races and Japan's summer Twinkle Series.

"Speaking of which…" Shuta An muttered softly as he browsed through data on the American turf Uma Musume emerging this year. "There's still that Breeders' Cup entry slot Miss Secretariat mentioned—supposedly for Teio. But I don't really think it's necessary."

He paused, eyes narrowing slightly as another thought surfaced.

"If Oguri's rehabilitation training goes smoothly, using that opportunity directly for her might be better. Letting her try the Breeders' Cup wouldn't be a bad choice either."

No sooner had the thought formed than his phone rang. Shuta An answered casually, listening as the person on the other end explained the reason for the call: a Uma Musume in the lobby wished to visit him.

"Who would be looking for me at a time like this?" He frowned slightly, pondering for a moment, but still allowed the visitor to come up. "It's not like it could be Sunday Silence—"

Thinking of that, he rolled his eyes inwardly.

"That woman can't even enter my Dream World. There's no way she'd know I whipped her that badly."

With that thought, Shuta An felt no concern. When he opened the door, however, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Miss Miesque?" He covered his mouth instinctively. "I didn't expect it would be you."

"Hehe, actually, I've wanted to chat with you for a long time, Mr. Shuta," Miesque said with a smile as she stepped past him into the room. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, Shuta-kun?"

"Not at all," Shuta An replied, shaking his head.

After watching Miesque sit down on the sofa in the living room, he went to the mini-fridge, took out a bottle of carrot juice and a bottle of cola, tossed the former to her, and twisted open the latter for himself.

"Thanks," Miesque said as she caught the carrot juice and opened it, taking a large gulp. "Waking up early and driving all the way to Malibu to find you—I'm quite thirsty."

"Miss Miesque," Shuta An said, sitting opposite her after setting down his cola, "please tell me your purpose in coming today."

"Can't I just come to chat with you without a specific reason?" Miesque smiled back. "Don't treat me like someone who only contacts you when there's something important."

"I wonder who took a full week to reply after I sent a New Year's greeting on New Year's Day," Shuta An pouted.

"Well…" Miesque scratched her head, lowering it apologetically. "I really was busy that day. You have to understand."

"Miss Miesque has already retired," Shuta An raised an eyebrow. "What could possibly keep you that busy? Logically speaking, aside from Dream Trophy matters, there shouldn't be much else, right?"

At that question, Miesque fell silent.

After a long pause, she shrugged lightly.

"I don't need to worry about the Dream Trophy. But Shuta, you probably don't know this—I've accepted Miss Secretariat's invitation to work on the West Coast."

"Oh?" Shuta An looked genuinely surprised. "That's the first I've heard of it. Secretariat didn't mention it to me."

"It's more like assisting her," Miesque spread her hands. "After all, she doesn't have many people she can fully trust around her right now."

She leaned forward slightly.

"Let's get back to the main topic. I came today to ask—have you decided on Oguri Cap's race schedule after she fully recovers?"

"Her race schedule?" Shuta An raised an eyebrow again. "Isn't that a private matter for our Sadalsuud team?"

"If you haven't made up your mind yet," Miesque continued calmly, "would you consider participating in the Breeders' Cup?"

She extended the suggestion gently.

"This year's Breeders' Cup Series will be held at Santa Anita Park Racecourse. Oguri Cap wouldn't need to endure long-distance travel, and the turf there suits her extremely well."

"So that's it," Shuta An said, suddenly understanding. "You're here to recruit participants for the Breeders' Cup."

"I'll need to see which race Oguri herself wants to run," he added after a moment. "But honestly, the Japan Cup might be her preferred choice. No Uma Musume has ever won the Japan Cup consecutively, after all. I think Oguri would be very interested in achieving that."

"Alright," Miesque said, not pressing the matter further.

Instead, she shifted the conversation, chatting with Shuta An about various interesting happenings across America. Shuta An could easily guess her intention—persuading him directly was pointless. It would be far more effective to talk to Oguri Cap herself later. As long as the gray Uma Musume agreed, everything else would naturally fall into place.

The two chatted about this year's American Triple Crown, until Miesque casually mentioned something that genuinely surprised Shuta An.

"Sunday Silence plans to retire after running this year's Breeders' Cup Series," Miesque said. "She doesn't intend to compete in the Dream Trophy and has already pleaded with her Trainer to help her secure a position at West Coast Tracen Academy."

"That shouldn't be a problem, should it?" Shuta An blinked. "A two-time Triple Crown Uma Musume wouldn't be left without a job at her alma mater."

"It shouldn't be a problem…" Miesque echoed softly. Yet from her tone, Shuta An could tell—she herself wasn't entirely sure.

In the afternoon, after finishing lunch, Miesque went to have a private conversation with Oguri Cap. Afterward, Shuta An deliberately asked Berno Light and Tokai Teio to accompany Oguri Cap, worried that the gray Uma Musume might be completely swayed if left alone. Once that was settled, he returned to his room and prepared to take a nap.

In truth, Miesque had not deceived Oguri Cap in the slightest.

She merely laid out the scale and concrete plans of this year's Breeders' Cup Series, as well as the kinds of opponents Oguri Cap might face there. There was no embellishment, no persuasion cloaked in rhetoric—only facts.

"Looking at it this way…" Oguri Cap murmured softly, eyes lowered. "It does seem appealing."

Yet her brows soon knit together.

"If I challenge the Breeders' Cup Turf in early November, my body might not fully recover in time for the Japan Cup at the end of the month—"

Hesitation crept into her expression.

Miesque immediately noticed the change and smoothly continued, "The Breeders' Cup has more than ten races. You don't necessarily have to enter the Turf Classic. Miss Oguri Cap could also consider the Turf Mile."

"A mile race…?" Oguri Cap's gaze dropped to the coffee table, and she fell silent.

At that moment, Berno Light and Tokai Teio—who had returned earlier and remained quietly nearby—did not interrupt. Neither of them wished to disturb Oguri Cap's thoughts. Still, having overheard most of the discussion, similar conclusions formed in both of their minds.

If you want to run the Japan Cup but don't want to miss the chance to face overseas Uma Musume in America, then the Mile race—with its lower physical burden—really is a sensible option.

Even so, the final decision belonged solely to Oguri Cap.

Both Berno Light and Tokai Teio understood this clearly. Shuta An had already entrusted that authority entirely to the gray Uma Musume. And so, the two of them simply sipped their canned vegetable juice in silence, making no move to join the conversation.

In the end, Oguri Cap still had not reached a conclusion.

Miesque left the hotel with faint disappointment lingering on her face. Before departing, she reminded Oguri Cap that once she made up her mind, she could contact her at any time.

"Honestly, I think Oguri could totally go for the Mile race," Berno Light muttered after seeing Miesque off. "The exertion would definitely be less than the Turf Classic. After that, whether it's the Japan Cup or resting and heading straight to the Arima Kinen, both would be feasible."

"I wonder what Oguri-senpai is thinking…" Tokai Teio said softly. "Maybe skipping the Breeders' Cup altogether and focusing on the Japan Cup would be safer. Last year's win was already very close, and we don't know what kind of monsters might appear this time. If the Breeders' Cup ends up costing her the Japan Cup, Oguri-senpai would probably feel awful."

"Teio's right," Berno Light admitted. "All we can do is wait for Oguri's decision. The Trainer clearly wants to respect her choice."

"Oguri-senpai already has five G1 wins," Tokai Teio added, clasping her hands behind her head as she leaned back. "Being a little willful at this point is completely justified. If I want that privilege someday, I'll have to work hard for a long time."

Berno Light—no longer an active racing Uma Musume—remained silent. Matters like this no longer concerned her.

As for Shuta An, he had no idea what decision Oguri Cap would ultimately make. But he trusted her. Once she reached a conclusion, she would come and tell him herself. Because of that, he didn't go to her room to ask.

In his view, regardless of her choice, Oguri Cap would run at most two races this year—and that was assuming her physical maturation progressed well. If her development remained similar to last year's, then he would only plan for her to challenge the Arima Kinen.

"To put it bluntly, it's just a choice between the Japan Cup and the Breeders' Cup," Shuta An murmured.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window in his room, he gazed out at the night view of Malibu Beach, waves whispering in the darkness.

"Tomorrow, I should go to the beach with Oguri and the others."

With that thought, he glanced at the clock.

"I'll turn in early tonight."

—

Upon entering his Dream World, Shuta An found himself—just as expected—standing outside the gates of the Ritto Training Center.

After winning the American Triple Crown with Sunday Silence, his short-term riding license had expired. He returned to Japan alongside Yoshida Zenya's group. As anticipated, Shuta An—now crowned an "American Triple Crown" winner as a local jockey—received an extremely warm welcome.

Naturally, the ever-meddlesome media also seized the opportunity to drag an awkward truth into the spotlight.

"Shuta An is still only a local jockey. Does this mean Central jockeys are now inferior to American Triple Crown jockeys?"

Among the Central jockeys, not a single fool dared touch that topic. One simple question was enough to silence anyone completely—

Could you win the Triple Crown if you rode Sunday Silence?

No one dared answer yes.

The close-up footage of Shuta An's ride in the final stretch of the Belmont Stakes had circulated endlessly among jockeys. That sense of rhythm—horse and rider moving as one—was exactly the ideal countless jockeys spoke of yet could never reach. No one believed they could replicate it.

Moreover, Sunday Silence's owner was Yoshida Zenya.

Even though Shadai had yet to become a true giant in Japanese horse racing, it was already a major force. No jockey in their right mind would offend such a powerful owner and producer just for cheap attention.

Today, Shuta An was here to discuss one thing with Setoguchi Tsutomu—

The JRA Central jockey certification exam.

"Even with your achievements, Shuta-kun," Setoguchi Tsutomu said calmly as he observed him, "the JRA cannot arrange a special early examination for you."

Shuta An wasn't surprised at all. The URA Association in the real world was just as conservative.

"This year's exam is scheduled for October 30th," Setoguchi Tsutomu continued. "You should focus on preparing over the next few months. After all, it's a written test—not a riding trial."

"I understand," Shuta An replied.

Deep down, however, he knew that in the Dream World, normal preparation was impossible.

Besides, he thought confidently, I'm a Trainer in reality. There's no way I'd fail a written exam, right /?On the first day after arriving at Malibu Beach, aside from Shuta An—who planned to wander around the hotel and enjoy some rare leisure time—Oguri Cap, Berno Light, and Tokai Teio headed out together to buy swimsuits.